Blood moon' rising: Total lunar eclipse on April 14-15, first in rare series-John Hagee prediction

Blood moon' rising: Total lunar eclipse on April 14-15, first in rare series-John Hagee prediction

A total lunar eclipse set to sweep the skies on April 14-15 and turn the moon blood-red just before midnight has got scientists excited and some Christians fearing for the end of days.

The coppery moon will be the first of two total lunar eclipses in 2014 as well as the opening act in a lunar tetrad – four total lunar eclipses in series.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align, causing the Earth's shadow to fall on the moon, darkening it. The crimson color the moon takes on during an eclipse comes about because of the refraction of sunlight through the Earth's atmosphere. This, incidentally, is the very same effect that causes sunsets to appear red.

The April 14-15 eclipse will begin at 21:20 GMT according to Sky and Telescope magazine. The other three eclipses in the "tetrad" will be in October, April 2015 and September 2015. Griffith Observatory will stream the event live.

A small group of Christians, however, view the upcoming event as a biblical prophecy sounding the end of times.

John Hagee, pastor and author of ‘Four Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change,’ cites Joel 2:31 as evidence, which says: "The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come."